A Watery Grave (Karen Cady Book 1), Penny Kline [book recommendations for young adults txt] 📗

‘I promise.’

The coffee bar was packed but Glen and Simon had found a table for four. When Karen and Tessie joined them they were discussing Russell, the pool attendant.

‘He’s worked here for eighteen months,’ said Glen. ‘Doesn’t time fly? D’you remember the one they had before, that podgy bloke with bandy legs?’

‘What’s his name?’ said Karen. ‘Russell – what’s his second name?’

Glen grinned. ‘Why? Fancy him, do you? Russell Donnelly.’

‘How d’you know?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I forget. Just do. He was telling me about Natalie Stevens. Apparently she worked here up to the time of the murder. In the ticket office. Hadn’t had the job very long. Russell was pretty cut up about what happened.’

‘I should think he would be,’ said Simon. He had bought Karen a hot chocolate forgetting that she had gone off the taste and preferred coffee.

Glen leaned forward. ‘How about this, Karen. According to my mother it was Olive Pearce who provided Liam with an alibi. She told the police he was in all evening, watching TV.’

‘I didn’t think they’d take any notice of what someone’s mother told them,’ said Karen.

Glen laughed. ‘No, I don’t suppose they believed her for one minute. The trouble was there was no forensic evidence. No blood on his clothes, traces of skin under his finger nails.’

Tessie shuddered. ‘I don’t know why you all keep talking about it. It was six months ago, they’re not going to find the murderer now. I expect people get away with murders all the time. I expect it’s quite easy.’ She stood up and Glen followed suit.

‘Right, we’re off.’ He laid a hand on Karen’s shoulder. ‘See you.’

Simon stared gloomily into his empty cup. ‘Glen and Tessie are going to that club down by the river later on. Is that what you’d like to do?’

Karen shook her head. ‘Actually I’m rather tired and I’ve some coursework to finish.’

‘So you don’t want to go anywhere this evening?’

‘D’you mind?’

‘Would it make any difference if I did?’

‘Oh come on.’ She was losing patience. ‘If you sit there like a wet weekend you can hardly expect me to . . .’

‘So it’s just as I thought. You’re fed up with me.’

‘No! Only sometimes it seems like you won’t be satisfied till I say I am.’

Simon was on his feet. Half of Karen wanted to say something to make him feel better. The other half felt angry that he kept behaving like an unwanted dog. Over by the self-service counter she could see Russell Donnelly talking to a girl dressed in white trousers and a skimpy jumper that showed most of her stomach. ‘Look, I’ll do some of my work, then I’ll give you a ring.’

Simon snorted through his nose, then started walking away. ‘If you remember,’ he said, angry with her but still wanting to make some kind of a date.

If he had told her not to bother to phone she would have felt a little anxious but liked him a whole lot better. Why? Because she was totally unreasonable or because . . . Sitting alone, stirring the cold dregs of her chocolate, she watched Russell Donnelly as she pretended to be oblivious of his presence. If he and Natalie Stevens had worked together he must have known her quite well. Was he still too upset to talk about what had happened? She could hardly walk up to him and ask him to tell her everything he knew. As she bent down to check that her bag of stuff was still lying on the floor beside her, she noticed that one of her files had slid under the table, along with a ballpoint pen and a grubby-looking comb.

‘Hello.’ Russell was standing a few feet away from the table. ‘All your friends deserted you?’

She smiled. ‘Not really. I was just thinking.’

‘No harm in that.’ He waited for her to invite him to join her. When she said nothing he sat down at an adjoining table. ‘Saw you in the water. You’re a good swimmer.’

She shrugged. ‘I suppose for a job like yours you have to pass a life-saving exam or something.’

‘That’s right.’ He turned his chair to face her. ‘Took me quite a time to convince the manager I was just what he was looking for. Used to work in the ticket office, then a pool attendant post became vacant and they let me do it for a trial period. If you play your cards right you can make a good career in leisure pursuits these days.’

‘D’you work here every day?’

He nodded. ‘More or less. Do different shifts, whatever Ken wants. Overtime whenever it’s on offer. Need the extra cash. If someone dies and you’re given their job d’you know what they call it?’

‘Stepping into dead men’s shoes.’

‘With me it was the other way round. I left the ticket office and Natalie Stevens took over.’

‘Natalie Stevens?’ Karen thought it best not to sound too interested. ‘Oh, you mean . . . You knew her then.’

His eyes were half-closed. ‘Didn’t your friend tell you? I was talking to him earlier on.’

‘Simon?’

‘No the guy with the muscles. Greg, isn’t it?’

Who was deceiving who? Russell knew Glen’s name. She knew Natalie Stevens had worked in the Sports Centre.

‘It was dreadful about Natalie,’ she said. ‘Must have been an awful shock for the people who knew her.’

‘Poor kid. It’s the parents I feel sorry for.’

‘And her boyfriend. And she had a baby didn’t she?’

He studied her face carefully. ‘You don’t know about the boyfriend then? He and that Olive Pearce took over the kid completely, acted as though Natalie wasn’t fit to look after her own baby.’

‘Why did she stay there then?’

‘Where else could she go? Her own parents threw her out as